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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. spell — a short time
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. pop — soda
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. pop — music
  15. pit — a hole
  16. cue — for pool
  17. pit — in a race
  18. spell — magic
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. spell — letters
  22. pop — to visit
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cold — an illness

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com